Customer owns my company...

My wife just texted me to call  a customer she didn't want to deal with.   I call him. He says he has 3 rooms and hall wants to know how much.  OK I tell him 189.00.  I ask him are there any special problems like dye type stains or urine?   Oh yeah I do have a  couple of pee stains.   He says he had a dog 15 years old and would pee on the it.  So I say it's probably way more than a couple of stains and the urine stains and oder are the main reason you want it cleaned.   Well kind of he says.  Well I can evaluate it with a hydrometer when I get there.   So how much for the pee problems he asks.  If it isn't in the pad probably 45.00 a room to enzyme.  If it is in the pad more for water clawing and if it's too bad I have to.replace the pad.  All that I can give you a firm quote on once I see it
Noo noo noo...I tell you what I'll do...I'll give you 100.00 CA$ H!!!  For the whole job.  Oh really.   (OK this is where maybe I got to rude)  I told him you get about 80000.00.  Buy a nice new van...nice big truckmount.   Loads of chems....take tons of seminars.   Learn...learn...learn.  till you dream about cleaning every night.  Then you can quote your own price.   Until then  buy a bottle of resolve and don't  call here again. I ask...what would you do??

It is the same all over isn't it?

I had a guy show up at my house with the carpeting from his fishing boat this morning. Tells me that he will give me $50 to clean it. It was covered in mud, beer spills, and pigs blood, so I told him that I would need twice that.

He asked how long would it take? I told him 15 minutes. He said that he would rather do it himself then. I gave him my Butler brochure out of the van.

I guess we think alike.

Beautiful...
I love it. I don't know what some people think. They think we just fell out of the dump tank or something. They're doing US A FAVOR. Those are the customers I don't want. With us we not only pre vac. Then prepay and run a 175 in the traffic lanes...then steam rinse on slight acid side. Then put bonnets on the 175 and go over the room. Then use either air movers or pods to dry it. When we leave carpet is dry. All that some people want for 20.00 a room. Hahahaha.

Wow, I don't go back with bonnets, but the rest is true for me.

That is always my favorite question "Will it be dry by tomorrow?"  They must hire the worst people behind my back.  I am normally dry to the touch when I leave except for maybe the stairs which can take a little longer.

"Don't call here again"

What is this lets make a deal. Whats funny is that hes probably been using resolve for years

we get a few per year without fail. always a waste of time. This one indian guy the other day robbed me of 35minutes 1st phone call, 30 more minutes 2nd call over an hr total

asked about a million questions, argued that we charge $30 to move a bed clean underneath and replace on blocks, he wants every bed moved in his house and some are huge, finally in the end says hell give me $380 for the job total.

told him we only soft quote over the phone and he demands that I agree 100% to the price, told him after an hr of wasting my time to call another company

The ones that as a million questions are the one that cancel last minute or a pain in the ass when you do clean for them

ACpower1 wrote:we get a few per year without fail.     always a waste of time.    This one indian guy the other day robbed me of 35minutes 1st phone call,    30 more minutes 2nd call over an hr total

asked about a million questions,   argued that we charge $30 to move a bed clean underneath and replace on blocks,    he wants every bed moved in his house and some are huge,   finally in the end says hell give me $380 for the job total.    

told him we only soft quote over the phone and he demands that I agree 100% to the price,   told him after an hr of wasting my time to call another company

You have more patience than me....would have hung up earlier. I like to point out that my website says to call for a quote, not call for a debate.

ya it mostly was taken up with him asking question after question all these details about the beds,    his english was terrible could barely understand what he was saying so that made it take even longer..

then comes the price questioning.. he was finding all sorts of things to question on the price every little detail wanted to know exactly how much per hr, how long it takes to move the bed and wondering why its $30, then wants to move the furniture himself while we do the job.. on and on

Take 30% off the quote and give him the wand you supervise

Here's what I do...

Give them the price, they give me their alternative price that always makes me shake my head. I ask them you don't want to pay X. They say "no" I say "call me back if you change your mind." and hang up. Don't wait for the ongoing debate. Just hang up.

Ken sounds like he runs his business like me.

I don't have patients for people who want to waste my time and beat me down on price.

Here's my price. Don't like it? Call someone else then, because I really don't care if you don't like it.

The key to not wasting your time haggling is to not be in the situation where you need the work. That is the luxury of being busy.

That happens a lot down here in LA cause there are tons of desperate cleaners looking for work, those price shoppers don't bother me as much as those that want an exact price over the phone, I always tell them if you want an exact price you would have to measure the place the way we measure with Stanley measuring tape, cause that's what we use, I'm sure other brands are going to be the same but in my experience those types of people always will find reasons to complain if our measurement is slightly larger.
I had a guy just plain argued with me after I measured the first bedroom, he asked why did I measure the way I measure ( I measured the whole room and not measuring his walk in closet and little entry hall after his bedroom door to compensate the areas under his bed and dresser that we're not going to be cleaning ), I challenged him, I said how would you measure it ) he said measure exposed areas only, I did that and I was off by 1 square foot, he didn't question me on measuring the rest of the house, lol.

That is why I don't measure any more Dp, there always ends up being a debate. I go with flat prices according to room size. Lots of furniture, no furniture, doesn't matter.

The way I look at it is this: If there is a lot of furniture, I am cleaning far less square footage, but there is an added pita factor. No furniture means that I clean more, but easier. It evens out.

So, the price works out either way and they understand what the price will be up front without waiting for and debating the tape.

Your way is more exact, my way is more convenient. Some times I screw myself a little on a job, but sometimes I come out way ahead as well.

Just less math and as everyone around me knows, I hate math.

That's very true ! Your way comes out more sometimes and my way comes out more sometimes cause I used to do room prices and some of my old customers that's been using me over the years, I stick to the old prices which end up being more than if I were to charge them square footage price.

That's what I don't understand why Davey Cracker drives all over town to give quotes

Just trying to see if I can get Dave to.post lol